Revisiting Corazon Aquino’s Speech

Cory Aquino was born on January 25, 1933, in Tarlac Province, north of
Manila. She grew up in a wealthy and politically powerful family. In 1954, she
graduated from Mount St. Vincent College in New York City with a bachelor's degree
in French and mathematics. In 1955, she married Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr., a
promising young politician. She later married a major opposition leader who was
imprisoned for eight years under the Marcos regime (1972-1980).

Cory Aquino ran for president when Ferdinand Marcos called for elections in
February 1886. She was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to
hold the office. The People Power Revolution of 1986 brought an end to President
Ferdinand E. Marcos' 20-year reign. Many have dubbed her the "Mother of Asian
Democracy" for her efforts. Time magazine named her Woman of the Year in 1986,
a title she still holds. Her concerns as president included civic freedoms, individual
rights, and peace negotiations to end the ongoing communist insurgency and
Islamist separatist movements.

Her husband Ninoy Aquino, a vocal opponent of Ferdinand Marcos'

dictatorship, was widely expected to win the 1973 presidential elections, as Marcos
was serving a term limit and thus could not run for re-election. On September 21,
1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines, destroying
the Constitution. Ninoy was thus imprisoned by Marcos for eight years, during which
time Corazon joined him in exile in America.

In the 1986 presidential election, Corazon was the opposition's presidential

candidate, with Salvador Laurel as her vice presidential candidate. Marcos defeated
Corazon in the election. Despite losing the election to Marcos, Corazon and her
allies sued the results, claiming widespread vote fraud. The case was dropped.
Following the People Power Revolution on February 25, 1986, Marcos was deposed
and Corazon elected president.

Corazon Aquino visited the United States in September 1986, seven months
after assuming office, and addressed a joint session of Congress. Other issues
raised in her speech included the country's 26 billion dollar foreign debt and a
communist insurgency that grew from 500 to 16,000 under Marcos' dictatorship.
 She also urged the US to help the Philippines maintain their independence.
Her speech, written by her speechwriter Teddy Locsin Jr., persuaded Congress to
approve a $200 million financial aid package to help the Philippines rebuild its
economy and regain its international standing.

Corazon Aquino's address was replete with allusions to her husband, former
Senator Ninoy Aquino, who had been designated by the Filipino people as the poster
boy for anti-Marcos activities in the country. She expressed her sorrow again when
she left America to attend the funeral of her husband, three years before she
became president. Her address to the Congress not only laid out the current
condition of the nation, but it also made a plea for support or financial assistance in
restoring full constitutional governance and reviving the country's economic recovery.

During her speech, Corazon Aquino was influenced by the state of the country
following the end of the Marcos regime. For more than a decade, the country was left
in a state of oppression by the international community. This resulted in the Filipino
citizens being left without recourse and burdened with the debt incurred by Marcos
during his regime, from which they received no benefit.

Although the dust had only just begun to settle following the declaration of
Martial Law, the Philippines was beginning to reckon with the consequences of the
Marcos administration's actions. This included $26 billion in total foreign debt, as well
as a communist insurgency that grew from 500 armed guerillas to 16,000 over the
course of the Marcos administration. Because the Philippines lacked the financial
resources to pay off the debt, Corazon filed a request for financial assistance from
the United States Congress, which was granted.

More importantly, because the Filipino people had fought so valiantly against
the administration in order to free the country as well as themselves, Corazon was
concerned about preserving the independence that Filipinos had won for
themselves. As a result, in her speech, she also expressed her appeal for assistance
in providing financial assistance to the Philippines on its road to constitutional and
economic recovery. She delivered a historic speech that was successful in
persuading Congress to approve an emergency $200 million aid appropriation in our
favor.
 The declaration is significant in Philippine history, particularly in the diplomatic
and political history of the country, since it is widely seen as having established the
legitimacy of the EDSA administration in the international arena. The philosophy of a
new democratic administration is also expressed in the same speech, which is a
noteworthy feature.

Furthermore, this document contributed to the history of the Philippines since

it traced back the first move taken by the nation to reestablish democracy after it was
banned by the Marcos regime. This paper enables the Filipino people to be aware of,
and to remember, the terrible reality that existed under the dictatorship of Ferdinand
Marcos.

Finally, since Corazon Aquino was the nation's first female president, her
speech had a significant effect not just on the country, but also on the world's view of
women in positions of authority, as previously stated.